| 摘要 |
An attitude control actuator of a spacecraft includes a first momentum wheel driven in rotation by a motor and a second momentum wheel. Both momentum wheels are movable in rotation about an axis and are mechanically coupled by coupling means imposing between a rotation speed ω1 of the first momentum wheel and a rotation speed ω2 of the second momentum wheel a ratio R=ω2/ω1, negative on the one hand and continuously modifiable by the coupling means in response to a command on the other hand so as to modify the total angular momentum of the actuator while the total kinetic energy of the wheels are kept constant. In one embodiment, both momentum wheels have the same inertia and are coupled through a toroidal variator, where ratio R varies between −3 and −1/3. The motor drives the momentum wheels and operates as a generator for braking the momentum wheels.
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